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Wargames chats and ramblings

Monthly Archives: April 2009

There is no way to deny it : I’m going through a serious case of Wingofwaritis. Though of course, Battletech remains my favorite game, it’s again this time when you need to see if the pasture isn’t greener elsewhere. These times go, as the newness of the games wear out, and all tactical combinations are explored (and Wings of War offers but a few of these… simplicity has a price!). I’ve gone through a few of these (Confrontation, Mechwarrior Dark Age ) and all faded away, but right now, it’s in full swing, and I’m dreaming of taking some rickety kite over muddy Flanders fields to offer , in knightly fashion, bataille champel to some Teutonic Ritter. Feeling the nostalgia of a time when the young noble men of Western Europe were eager to renounce a life of privileges and ready to give their lives for King, Kaiser or the République, who, while recognizing the value of a worthy foe they had mercilessly hunted down, were ready to mourn their death… Guynemer declining to shoot and waving Udet free, as his guns were jammed, or Immelman dropping flowers on the aerodrome of a fallen foe. Gallantry without hate. These may be teenage fantasies, but so much more uplifting than today’s bleak realities. At any rate, I’ve even painted a few minis to supplement the already good standard minis

Immelman’s Fokker

Lubery’s Nieuport

Navarre’s Nieuport

Bréguet XIV

And they also ring a bell in the Battletech universe : Gunslingers and Samourais duking out before the fall of the Star League, or Davion & Kurita nobilities sparring on the border for centuries. As a Davion fan, the Draconis Border is where my heart lies, dreaming of being a Crucis March noble and have the distance to be spared the hate… Besting honorable foes in an honorable way, that’s all war (and wargaming *wink* ) should be!

You may well not be aware of my elder son, Alex, and the fact he is a problem child. Today he has won a victory over himself, a victory he (and I ) can be proud of. These are the most difficult to win…

I have bought, a few months ago, Nexus’ excellent Wings of War game, and I have introduced both my kids to it. For Alex, it is a problem to remain concentrated,and to keep his calm when things turn bad, to the point I stop the game when this happens. Well, today, for the 1st time, we managed to complete a game that was not gpoing his way.

Alex took a German UFAG, and I opted for the American DH4 :

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The battle started with a few passings by. It’s some help to have rear gunners!

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But I managed to get the UFAG to veer under the DH’s rear guns, and unleashed a crippling salvo :